Comelec: Double registrants 704,542, not millions

MANILA, Philippines – The Commission on Elections (Comelec) confirmed yesterday the existence of 700,000 double registrants nationwide.

The Comelec’s Information and Technology Department (ITD), with the use of algorithmic matching, found a total of 704,542 voters with double or multiple registration records.

With the discovery, the Comelec immediately issued a resolution to curb the number of double registrants in the coming May elections.

Under Resolution No. 8791, the Comelec en banc directed all Board of Elections Inspectors (BEIs) not to allow voters with double registration to vote in their respective precincts.

The Comelec also ordered the names of double registrants to be deleted in the next Elections Registration Board (ERB) hearings.

The Comelec also tasked the Election and Barangay Affairs Department in coordination with the ITD to implement the resolution.

The ITD printed a list of voters whose registration records are not valid per precinct and per district/municipality/city, and disseminated the same to all Election Officers concerned, the Comelec said.

Earlier, Comelec Commissioner Gregorio Larrazabal refuted the reported existence of some five million double registrants who are likely to vote more than once in the coming elections.

He said there is no truth to the Parish Pastoral Council for Responsible Voting’s allegations that the current voters’ list has about five million multiple registrants. 

He said the Comelec has initiated cleansing of voters’ list and took other steps to ensure that those with multiple registration would only be able to vote once. 

Meanwhile, re-electionist former Sen. Ralph Recto urged the Comelec yesterday to post the voters’ list early to allow voters a glimpse of their names and avoid the usual “cat-and-mouse” search on election day.

He said the posting of the list after Holy Week or a month before elections would also give the Comelec more time to troubleshoot problem areas and make needed adjustments.

“With fears that the voting time of 7 a.m. to 6 p.m. would not suffice, the early posting would save man-hours spent on huddling, jostling and looking for the voters’ names on election day,” he said.

Aside from schools, barangay halls and churches, Recto said the Comelec could post the voting list and the voters’ precinct assignments on the Internet, barangay halls and in bulletin boards of churches. At least 51 million voters are expected to cast their ballots to vote for officials who will fill up 17,999 elective positions, including one president and vice-president, 12 senators, 230 congressmen and 57 party-list groups. – With Jess Diaz